To create the body you dream of, just going to the gym is not enough. You need good basic training that will form the foundation for future achievements!
You purchased a gym membership, bought excellent sneakers and sportswear, and when you came to the gym, you realized that this is not enough - you need a training program in the gym with detailed instructions.
Without a clear understanding of what needs to be done, all these components are not worth a penny.
To achieve the best results, you need a so-called basic training program, which will include a set of specific exercises aimed at working specific muscles.
It is called basic because it is what creates the foundation for the development of your muscles, forms the base.
Create your own or choose a training program to pump up muscles?
Why is it so important to have clear leadership? The fact is that if you exercise haphazardly, some muscles will not receive additional load, while others may be overtrained. Ultimately, this will not lead to the result you originally expected. So it turns out that having a specific training program for beginner bodybuilders will allow you to confidently move towards your goal.
So, focus on the goal first. What do you want to achieve?
- Lose weight
- Gain weight
- Buy a sculpted body
In fact, the last goal involves a combination of the two previous ones: in order to provide yourself with relief, you need to lose extra pounds and build up muscles. If you are a beginner, it will be difficult for you to choose the right program on your own, and even more difficult to follow it.
Full body gym program for beginners
Deadlift in a power rack
- 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Body part: Lower back Equipment: Barbell
Bench press with a wide grip lying on a horizontal bench
- 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Body part: Chest Equipment: Barbell
Quick squats with a barbell
- 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Body part: Quadriceps Equipment: Barbell
Dips
- 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Body part: Triceps Equipment: Body weight
Standing Dumbbell Press
- 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Body part: Shoulders Equipment: Dumbbells
Standing biceps curl with EZ bar
- 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Body part: Biceps Equipment: Barbell with EZ bar
Incline leg raises (reverse crunches)
- 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
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Between circles, pause for 3-5 minutes, between exercises - no more than 30 seconds. Take a breath, take a walk, the main thing is not to let your body cool down. Alternatively, this program can be performed in a traditional format, performing the exercises one after the other.
After finishing your workout, do a cool-down. Once you start training according to this program, train regularly, and the results will not be long in coming!
How to competently continue working on your body further and create a split training program?
We recommend distributing your workouts throughout the week in the following areas, taking into account the specifics of the split training rules:
- Chest and Back Workouts
- Leg workouts
- Shoulders and Arms Workouts
We offer you the following examples of such weekly training programs.
Circuit training
Circuit training allows you to reduce the number of sessions in the gym and helps increase muscle endurance. There's nothing wrong with doing circuit exercises for your muscles a couple of times a week. By combining different types of exercises, you can find the ideal circuit training scheme.
Here is an example of circuit training.
Monday Thursday:
- Jumping in place and pumping the press – 39 times, 3 approaches. Classes alternate.
- Hack squats – 16 times.
- Abdominal exercises – 5 sets of 11 reps.
- Simple pull-ups and push-ups - 5 sets of 21 times. The exercises alternate: odd circle – pull-ups, even circle – push-ups.
Tuesday-Saturday:
- Abdominal exercises on a Roman bench and abdominal exercises using a machine - 29 times, two approaches, alternating with each other after every 5 laps.
- Seated press, squats with dumbbells – 2 sets of 20 reps. The exercises alternate: 1st and 3rd circle – squats, 2nd and 4th circle – dumbbell press.
- Chair rises and lunges. 4 rounds of exercises are performed.
What should also be included in your training program?
It is extremely important to complement your work in the gym with fitness activities outside of it. For beginning athletes, we recommend considering the following topics in addition to your current strength training selections.
Isometric exercises are an ideal complement to strength training. Isometric complexes are a special system of exercises that allows you to strengthen the muscle frame, increase strength and improve athletic performance without grueling hours of training in the gym.
Formation of general (aerobic) endurance. The main components of general endurance are the capabilities of the aerobic energy supply system, functional and biomechanical economization. It is necessary to work on it in the same way as your strength characteristics for the harmonious development of your functionality.
Recovery stretching after exercise helps our muscles strengthen and grow. This is the key to our flexibility, correct posture and good health. High-quality stretching after training is also necessary to prevent injuries, thanks to it your muscles become flexible and elastic.
And a flexible body gives you more opportunities, it will be easier for you to perform strength exercises, and there will be fewer injuries during falls or accidental unnatural movements. Your muscles will be able to stretch and not be injured as a result.
Exercises to develop stabilizer muscles. The development of stabilizer muscles makes the work of the motor muscles for strength work more effective, and their underdevelopment, on the contrary, imposes limitations. If they are weak, then the motor muscles cannot contract at full power. Include at least one workout for stabilizing muscles in your weekly cycle.
So a combination of strength and active recovery days might look like this for you:
Day 1 | Strength 1 at 70% effort | In the hall |
Day 2 | Isometrics + Cardio 20 minutes, Stretching | House, Street |
Day 3 | Strength 2 at 60% effort | In the hall |
Day 4 | Stabilizers + Cardio 20 minutes, Stretching | House, Street |
Day 5 | Strength 3 at 80% effort | In the hall |
Day 6 | Isometrics + Cardio 30-40 minutes, Stretching | House, Street |
Day 7 | Active recreation: trekking, swimming, yoga | Street |
Sports nutrition - proteins, creatines, BCAA, amino acids - will help speed up the process of body transformation towards a given goal. These supplements are specially designed for athletes and fitness-active people of different fitness levels. Such drugs are completely safe, and their effectiveness has already been proven.
Features of the training process
In this article you will find professional recommendations and be able to make your own decision. This will allow you to get a clear picture of what you can achieve and in what ways.
Next, pay attention to your gender. Training programs for novice male bodybuilders and for women will have their own characteristics, even if they are aimed at the same goal and working out the same muscle groups. The main difference lies in the intensity, weight, and available variations of the exercise.
How to distribute the load across all muscle groups
Advanced athletes know that you cannot train all muscle groups every workout, because the muscles need time to recover, and for this you need to create a training program so that the muscles have time to rest. Such forms of training give positive results.
With a separate training option, one muscle group is trained once a week. In one workout you can effectively load 2 or even 3 muscle groups. But after such a load, they need to rest for several days.
The full body workout is ideal for beginners. The full body workout mode trains all the major muscles of the chest, back, arms, hamstrings and abs. The complex includes exercises that involve several muscle groups at once, and the load is distributed evenly.
The plank is one of the best exercises that involves almost all muscle groups.
Ways to dose loads on all muscle groups:
- decreasing or increasing the number of plays;
- amplitude modification;
- decreasing or increasing speed, tempo;
- increasing or decreasing the distance of movement;
- application of additional weight load;
- simplification or burdening of the initial and final provisions;
- changing the mode of muscle function;
- modification of the respiratory rhythm. When performing exercises, breathing should be rhythmic, without delays.
Compound exercises use a lot of energy and burn more calories, but they also overwork the muscles.
Back in the hall. How to return to training after a break?
If you have mustered your will, signed up for classes, bought a membership, and even come to the gym after a long break, I ask you to use your head. The risk of getting injured and forgetting about training again for a long time is very high. Please read this article so that you don’t have to read the rest later in the hospital.
So, you want to get back in shape quickly. There is a great temptation to start from the level where you stopped last time, that is, to resume the loads that were familiar at that time. You shouldn't give in to him. After a long absence, serious loads can result in injuries or such fatigue and muscle pain that in the next week you will find 1000 and another excuse not to return to the gym.
Start regaining your previous shape gradually. Let your body adapt to increased activity, strengthen connective tissues and restore working potential. How - read on.
Curb your expectations
Accept the fact that at first you will be upset by how weak you have become during the break. The less achievements you expect, the less upset you will be when you cannot lift the usual weight or fall off the treadmill in the second minute. Because the fewer such disappointments there are, the greater the chance that you will return to the gym and not score again.
Determine the recovery period
It depends on how much you missed. If you haven't gone to the gym for 5-7 days, the loss of muscle mass will be insignificant. But if you were there for 2 weeks, a month, a year, the recovery period will be much longer.
In general, you can set a rule for yourself in case of a long absence. The recovery period should be twice as long as no training. That is, if the absence lasted two weeks, you will have to gradually restore your usual training intensity over the course of a month.
Practice like you're a beginner
In fact, your progress will be noticeably faster than that of beginners, so don’t worry too much about starting from scratch again. At the same time, you will motivate real beginners.
Reduce initial load
Take on 50–60% of what you could before the break. Increase the intensity of your workouts gradually so as not to injure your muscles. It’s better that you do just one more push-up with each session than skip a workout because of unbearable pain.
Take your time with the program
Perhaps you will immediately remember which program you followed before, and out of habit you will try to go through it from beginning to end. There is no need for this. Monitor your well-being - if you realize that you can’t handle some of the approaches or exercises, forget about them until your next visit to the gym, and choose a suitable new one or a trainer with whom you are ready to train.
If you have had an injury
If the reason for the break in classes is not laziness or being overwhelmed at work, but an injury, give the body time to recover. How to determine how much is needed? And like this:
Wait until you are sure that the injury has passed. And then wait another week. Perform one set of each exercise - this will help smoothly restore damaged muscles.
For example, if your shoulders hurt, do one set of bench presses. Next time, try one set of shoulder presses and see if it feels like it’s worth continuing, or if it’s too early. With such a system, you will know which exercises and how many approaches can aggravate an injury, and you will be able to structure your workouts so as not to harm yourself.
Follow these guidelines and remember: getting back into shape after a long absence from the gym is a marathon, not a sprint.
Components of success
In addition to the training program in the gym, you need to create a nutrition plan that will speed up the achievement of your goal. Your diet must maintain a balance between all food components: proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fiber.
Remember, if you want to lose weight, you need to lower your daily calorie intake, and if you need to gain muscle mass, you need to increase it. Muscles cannot appear out of nowhere - they need proteins to grow. And your task is to ensure the required rate of their consumption.
The basic rules of healthy eating are as follows:
- maintaining an optimal balance of nutrients;
- consuming the required amount of calories;
- eating in several small meals throughout the day (the optimal amount is 5);
- exclusion of foods high in unhealthy fats and carbohydrates, replacement with healthier analogues;
- eliminating high-calorie snacks.
In conclusion, we can only say one thing: for your workouts to be effective, you will need not only a training program in the gym, but also a healthy eating plan.
And under no circumstances should you stop halfway. Plan the time of your visits - try not to miss it under any pretext.
Depending on your training goal, you may want to consider the following sets.
Complex for muscle relief
The exercise program in the gym for girls who want to create a sculpted body is aimed at working all muscle groups.
Muscles gain definition when the muscle fibers themselves become larger due to mechanical stress (for example, the stress that occurs when lifting a heavy weight for several repetitions). Therefore, training programs for muscle definition contain exercises that help accelerate the growth of muscle fibers.
- Monday – race walking for 50–70 minutes.
- Tuesday – classes in the gym. They perform a number of exercises: dumbbell press, flexion and extension of arms on a machine, abdominal exercises in a machine, jumping rope.
- Wednesday – bike ride for 60–90 minutes.
- Thursday – abdominal exercises on machines and standing pullovers (4 hikes 8 times).
- Friday – repeat training in the gym with lifting weights.
- Saturday – cardio training (running on a treadmill).
- Sunday – swimming in the pool for 20 minutes.
The muscles will acquire the desired relief if the exercise technique is followed.
Basic set to pump up for men
Olimp Sport Nutrition | Creatine Monohydrate?
- Creatine is an essential substance in muscle cells in the form of creatine phosphate. Taking a creatine complex helps increase energy production by cellular mitochondria, positively affecting the athlete’s endurance, strength and muscle tissue growth.
- Category: Creatine powder More about the category
Dissolve 1 serving (5 g) in 150-200 ml of water or your favorite drink.
Increased muscular work, requiring maximum energy release, is accompanied by increased consumption of creatine phosphate as the most important energy source for the muscular system, as a result of which the body's need for creatine during physical activity increases significantly! In addition to increasing endurance during training, creatine helps increase muscle size. Creatine from Creapure is used.
VPLAB Nutrition | BCAA 2:1:1 ?
- BCAA amino acids increase performance and also help restore the body after training.
- Category: BCAA More about the category
One serving before training. Stir 8 g of powder in 300 ml of water.
Amino acid complex Vplab “BCAA 2:1:1” is a new generation of ultramicronized essential branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Their distinctive features are the best solubility, rapid absorption and lack of bitterness. The anti-catabolic ratio of amino acids leucine - isoleucine - valine 2:1:1 is the most optimal for preventing the breakdown of muscle tissue, especially during weight loss. For best results, it is recommended to take BCAA amino acids before and after training.
VPLAB Nutrition | 100% Platinum Whey ?
- Produced using the most advanced technologies and meets all international quality standards. This is a unique product that combines premium whey protein and great taste for the first time.
- Category: Whey Protein More about the category
Application: 1-3 servings per day. On training days, use after training. Preparation: mix 30 g of powder (2 scoops) with 250-300 ml of water or skim milk
The combined mixture of two whey proteins in VPLaboratory 100% Platinum Whey helps to quickly launch recovery processes in muscle cells, provoking the growth of quality mass and blocking catabolism. Key features of 100% Platinum Whey: - superior combination of microfiltered isolate and ultrafiltered 100% whey protein concentrate; - excellent refreshing taste, even when cooked in water; — high content of essential amino acids and BCAAs; — the fastest possible absorption of nutrients; - low fat and sugar content. In addition, 100% Platinum Whey has the highest biological value, extremely quickly activates and enhances muscle metabolism, and helps maintain clean muscle mass. With its exceptional properties, 100% Platinum Whey is the new standard for whey proteins.
VPLAB Nutrition | Ultra Men's Sport Multivitamin Formula ?
- A high-tech complex of natural vitamins and minerals was developed taking into account the characteristics of male physiology for men leading an active lifestyle.
- Category: Vitamins for men More about the category
1 capsule 2 times a day
Taking the VPLaboratory Ultra Men's Sport Multivitamin Formula vitamin and mineral complex will help eliminate nutrient deficiency in the body, which causes premature fatigue, insufficient recovery and decreased body tone.
Sports nutrition recommendations are indicative only. Before purchasing, we recommend that you consult with a specialist in the store.